By: David Wilson
The Trevecca Nazarene University volleyball team swept Northwood University in straight sets (25-22, 25-16, 25-17) on Senior night at Trojan Fieldhouse. With the win, the Trojans have won ten conference games for the first time since joining NCAA DII.
Seniors Ellie Buffler, Emma Green, and Sami Raley were honored during a pregame ceremony.
“Our seniors are the three musketeers. They have a bond both on the court and off the court that is the sweetest, most authentic connection between young adults,” said Trevecca Head Coach Emily Moore. “Ellie Buffler is a light that just brings joy everywhere she goes. Sami is the sweetest, kindest person you will ever meet. Emma Green has waited for this moment to be a playmaker for three years and I am so proud of her for sticking with it.”
Northwood came out on fire in the first set, jumping put to an early 7-2 lead. Trevecca would battle back and tie the game multiple times during the first set.
The Trojans would take their first lead at 21-20 after an attack error by Northwood. Sophomore libero Katie Crutchfield would end the first set with a service ace to give Trevecca a 1-0 set lead.
Trevecca carried the momentum from the first set throughout the rest of the match.
The Trojans opened the second set with a 9-2 run and built a comfortable lead. Northwood would rally late, but a 11-4 run highlighted by sophomore Emma Titus pushed Trevecca to victory in the second set.
Titus would finish the night with ten kills and a .400 hit percentage.
“Emma Titus has been working hard the last couple weeks on diversifying her shot selection. Being able to competently throw in a tip when she reads the defense. Also, being able to hit away from the block. It was great to watch her come out and then execute that tonight,” said Moore.
Trevecca dominated the third set from start to finish. The Trojans jumped out to a 10-5 advantage, forcing a Northwood timeout. Ellie Buffler sparked an 8-1 run in the middle of the third set, scoring two service aces.
The Trojans finished the set strong and claimed a sweep on Senior day.
“We knew Northwood was going to be a powerful offensive team. They have a strong middle hitter in [Sydney Hasenfratz]. So, our goal was to get the ball in the air. We knew we could trust our defense and our ability to keep recycling plays,” said Moore.
Buffler lead the Trojan offense with a match-high 14 kills in the match. She leads the team with 337 kills and 67 service aces on the season.
Junior setter Emilee McDonald had a team-high three service aces and pitched in 29 assists for the Trojans offense.
Trevecca will be on the road for their final two matches of the regular season. The Trojans will take on Ohio Dominican on Nov. 4 and Cedarville on Nov. 5.
“We must go on the road and take on ODU and Cedarville again. Its tough, as we saw with Tiffin, to beat a conference team twice in a year. I would like for us to take care of business and go into the conference tournament with some momentum,” said Moore.
Trevecca sits in second place in the GMAC South with a record of 18-10.
